Taste test: Best energy bar

Energy bars play a number of roles in an athlete’s life. Sometimes we reach for them during hard workouts, sometimes as on-the-go meal replacements, and sometimes simply because we’re out of vitamin-infused gummy bears and need to convince ourselves we’ve chosen a snack with nutrients.

But these days there are so many different energy bar varieties that the choosy athlete finds herself at a crossroads: Which portable power choice will give me the most energy without tasting like a chemical spill?

In the interest of science, I assembled a crack team of energy-starved guinea pigs for a blind taste test to separate the power wheat from the power chaff. We dove deep into the catalogues of Clif and Larabar to see which bars taste like mouthwatering cake, and which bars you’d bribe a dog to bury in the back yard.

Arguably healthier than Clif, Snickers Marathon Energy was nonetheless cheerfully rated and described as crunchy, not too sweet and chocolate and nuts marries energy; this hit me in the spot reserved for tasty afterthoughts.

Calories: 210, Fat: 8, Carb: 26g, Sugar: 15g, Fiber: 5g, Protein: 13g

View gallery

.

(Photo: Staples)

3. Kind Blueberry Pecan + Fiber (Score: 8/10)

This energy bar is about as straightforward as a kick in the mouth (a delicious one, mind you). The simplicity of 10 simple ingredients shines through after the barrage of soy and whey-protein laden bars. The tasters gave the balance of fruit, nuts and honey five stars.

Calories: 190, Fat: 12g, Carb: 20g, Sugar: 9g, Fiber: 5g, Protein: 4g

4. Kashi Go Lean Crunchy Chocolate Almond

View gallery

.

(Photo: Kashi)

(Score 7.75/10)

Tasters gushed over the combination of simple flavors (Chocolate and almonds? Yes, please!) and the crunchy, crispy texture. One comment about the "delightful lightness" of the crispy rice base received rousing affirmation from the other tasters.

Calories: 170, Fat: 5g, Carb: 27g, Sugar: 13g, Fiber: 5g, Protein: 8g

View gallery

.

(Photo: Clif)

5. Clif Carrot Cake (Score: 7/10)

Tasters liked the spice and thought the bar was a good replica of carrot cake without icing, but were puzzled by the conflicting textures and questioned the value of a world without cream cheese icing.

This bar served as a bready affront to all taste sensibilities and inspired reviewers to pen angry screeds on various holes it should be jammed into and/or buried. No amount of energy in the world is worth another bite of this hateful, berry monstrosity, one ranted, while another simply scrawled, Soft. Ugly. Offensive.

Hi, Carolyn: Should I be worried that my wife and I have had no sex for literally years? I am guessing it is at least three years. Not even heavy make-out sessions. It just seems that my wife has no interest. I am afraid to broach the subject for fear of a negative answer. We don’t sleep in the same bed anymore either. I am a big snorer and chose to sleep in the guest room. It’s fine because she is a light sleeper and I am happier that she is getting her sleep. I do use a CPAP but it does come off sometimes. The no-sex thing just happened over time. We have both gained some weight but we are not obese — we could both lose 20 or 30 pounds. Is this normal or should we seek help? J.: Should I be

The recent discovery of a missing Alaska teen’s dead body, weeks after he vanished — and the subsequent arrest of one of his friends — has shaken their small community. In mourning 16-year-old David Grunwald, they are also remembering his life: One his teachers tells PEOPLE the boy’s desk chair is being kept empty in tribute to the funny and eager student, who dreamed of being a pilot. “We all miss him,” Zack Lanphier, David’s former high school teacher at Mat-Su Career & Tech, tells PEOPLE.

Dear Carolyn DEAR CAROLYN: Should I be worried that my wife and I have had no sex for literally years? I am guessing it is at least three years. Not even heavy make-out sessions. It just seems that my wife has no interest. I am afraid to broach the subject for fear of a negative answer. We don’t sleep in the same bed anymore either. I am a big snorer and chose to sleep in the guest room. It’s fine because she is a light sleeper and I am happier that she is getting her sleep. I do use a CPAP but it does come off sometimes. The no-sex thing just happened over time. We have both gained some weight but we are not obese — we could both lose 20 or 30 pounds. Is this normal or should we seek help? —

The Eagles are among the 2016 Kennedy Center honorees. The band formed in the early 1970s and helped define classic rock on the radio, becoming one of the world’s most successful bands. But when drummer Don Henley hears one of their songs on the radio now, he usually turns it down. “After 44 years, you just really don’t want to hear ‘em when you’re off,” Henley said. “When I’m off duty, I’d rather listen to somebody else, or just silence. Silence is good. You don’t get much of it these days anywhere. So I’m a big fan of silence.” He may be a fan of silence, but with the Eagles, Don Henley created some of the most popular sounds in American music. Like their hit song, the Eagles seemed really

A teenage driver was streaming to Facebook Live while she drove along a Pennsylvania highway just before a tractor-trailer rear ended her vehicle after midnight Tuesday, killing her and a passenger in a fiery wreck. Brooke Miranda Hughes, 18, was behind the wheel on Interstate 380 near Tobyhanna as she live-streamed her car ride with 19-year-old friend, Chaniya Morrison-Toomey, who can be heard saying “Are you going live?” in the now-deleted footage, according to the Associated Press. Before Hughes could answer, bright lights flash inside the car and sounds of screeching tires can be heard, followed by seven-minutes of blackness, the Scranton Times-Tribune reported.

A Georgia teen missing for nearly a week apparently was kidnapped by the father of one of her friends, local media reported Thursday. Calah Waskow, 15, vanished from her home in Evans on Sunday. Investigators said 37-year-old Jason Johnson, from North Augusta, S.C., may have abducted her and that she was believed to be in "extreme danger," Fox Carolina reported. "My daughter was friends with his daughter," Waskow's mother, Nora, told WRDW. "That's how he, I guess, got introduced to my daughter." He was wanted on charges including aggravated child molestation, Fox 5 reported. Investigators warned the pair could have gone almost anywhere. Johnson and the teen apparently had been seeing each other

Victoria’s Secret has apologized to a woman who was asked to leave the store. A woman shopping at a Victoria’s Secret in the Quintard Mall in Oxford, Ala., says she was shocked and dismayed to be asked to leave the store. Traveling nurse Kimberly Houzah says she and a second black shopper were made to leave after a store manager caught another black woman shoplifting.

The California Coastal Commission has imposed a $4.2 million fine on owners of an expensive oceanfront rental on the Malibu coast for failing to remove a gate, fence, stairway and deck that block public ...

Hatchimals, the hottest toy this holiday
season, are furry creatures that hatch from
an egg when you play with them. Retailers are sold out across the country, but some resellers have inflated prices and are making a huge profit.

Sara Gruen wrote Water for Elephants, and now she’s written a plea to her fans to help her cause. New York Times bestselling author Sara Gruen has a big problem on her hands — well, 166 problems, to be exact. Right after the Black Friday rush, Gruen learned that this season’s must-have gift is Hatchimals: interactive, battery-operated “animals” that live inside “eggs” that eventually hatch to reveal a surprise creature once you’ve nurtured and cared for your egg during its gestation.

Pauly D looks totally different compared to his Jersey Shore days! In a new Instagram video, the reality star looks completely unrecognizable, and fans are wondering if Pauly went under the knife! In the video, the Jersey Shore star invites fans to a New Year's Eve celebration he's scheduled to DJ. If the reality star did indeed have work done, he wouldn't be the first Jersey Shore star to change their appearance. Snooki previously admitted to receiving treatments like Botox, while JWOWW underwent a breast augmentation. Click through the slideshow to see the Jersey Shore cast then and now!